Justin Joseph
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Varyag On The Move Again
When you take into consideration how much trouble the Indian Navy is going through with their own second-hand Russian carrier (Admiral Gorshkov) the task of making Varyag/Shi Lang operational is truly a monumental one for the PLN.
No engines, patchy construction and slap-dash short-cutting in Varyag to make it appear close to completion was more an operation to fool U.S. spy satellites than to create a sea-worthy warship. No matter how you look at it, China purchased a movie prop, and nothing more.
When I read about the cost overruns being experienced by India, I have to conclude the same multiplied must be happening in China. I will be particularly interested to see if the Chinese can succeed at putting in engines capable of the speeds necessary to propel Shi Lang fast enough for carrier operations.
A carrier is a world apart from a freighter or even a cruiser as I am sure they already know. And, while having a mock-up flight deck for pilots to land on is certainly useful, it simply will not compare to bringing the capable but very large and heavy SU 33 safely aboard in rough weather, with high winds pushing the flight deck around in blind conditions.
Add battle damage, pilot fatigue and low fuel to the mix, and the potential for catastrophe becomes very real. One SU-33 smashing down on the deck has the potential of putting Shi Lang out of action with no backup and nowhere for follow-up fighters to land. And having a carrier is a lot different than keeping one.
The aircraft carrier is the most powerful, and the most vulnerable warship in any fleet, requiring a ring of support ships to keep it serviced and protected.
The Chinese navy will require a host of ships, aircraft and submarines that simply do not exist yet, just to keep it afloat.
The PLN is currently configured to defeat carriers, not to protect them, and the time and expense needed to accomplish such a shift in mission capability will be massive, assuming the leadership even recognizes the problem and decide to take steps to correct the imbalance.
As far as mission is concerned, I have no doubt Shi Lang, by her very name, is a weapon designed to intimidate and/or conquer Taiwan and not to face down the U.S. Navy, but even against the comparatively modest capabilities of Taiwan, and even India, a large part of the PLN will need to be surrounding this ship which will reduce the navies overall effectiveness for other operations.
And that is assuming that the Chinese leadership are willing to put such a valuable piece of hardware in harms way.
During the Falklands war, Argentina chose to leave their only operational carrier in harbor, knowing well that she was as good as sunk if she took to open water. I sincerely doubt that the Chinese leadership will risk such a status symbol, even if they decided to invade Taiwan, until the battle was over and won.
Varyag On The Move Again
When you take into consideration how much trouble the Indian Navy is going through with their own second-hand Russian carrier (Admiral Gorshkov) the task of making Varyag/Shi Lang operational is truly a monumental one for the PLN.
No engines, patchy construction and slap-dash short-cutting in Varyag to make it appear close to completion was more an operation to fool U.S. spy satellites than to create a sea-worthy warship. No matter how you look at it, China purchased a movie prop, and nothing more.
When I read about the cost overruns being experienced by India, I have to conclude the same multiplied must be happening in China. I will be particularly interested to see if the Chinese can succeed at putting in engines capable of the speeds necessary to propel Shi Lang fast enough for carrier operations.
A carrier is a world apart from a freighter or even a cruiser as I am sure they already know. And, while having a mock-up flight deck for pilots to land on is certainly useful, it simply will not compare to bringing the capable but very large and heavy SU 33 safely aboard in rough weather, with high winds pushing the flight deck around in blind conditions.
Add battle damage, pilot fatigue and low fuel to the mix, and the potential for catastrophe becomes very real. One SU-33 smashing down on the deck has the potential of putting Shi Lang out of action with no backup and nowhere for follow-up fighters to land. And having a carrier is a lot different than keeping one.
The aircraft carrier is the most powerful, and the most vulnerable warship in any fleet, requiring a ring of support ships to keep it serviced and protected.
The Chinese navy will require a host of ships, aircraft and submarines that simply do not exist yet, just to keep it afloat.
The PLN is currently configured to defeat carriers, not to protect them, and the time and expense needed to accomplish such a shift in mission capability will be massive, assuming the leadership even recognizes the problem and decide to take steps to correct the imbalance.
As far as mission is concerned, I have no doubt Shi Lang, by her very name, is a weapon designed to intimidate and/or conquer Taiwan and not to face down the U.S. Navy, but even against the comparatively modest capabilities of Taiwan, and even India, a large part of the PLN will need to be surrounding this ship which will reduce the navies overall effectiveness for other operations.
And that is assuming that the Chinese leadership are willing to put such a valuable piece of hardware in harms way.
During the Falklands war, Argentina chose to leave their only operational carrier in harbor, knowing well that she was as good as sunk if she took to open water. I sincerely doubt that the Chinese leadership will risk such a status symbol, even if they decided to invade Taiwan, until the battle was over and won.
Varyag On The Move Again
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